ABOUT MESTRE CAMISA Mestre Camisa was born in the north eastern state of Brazil, Bahia. He was brought up in a small farm with his parents and brothers. His interest in Capoeira began in his early age but it was only after moving to the capital Salvador that he had his first lessons. Mestre Camisa had the influence of his older brother Camisa Roxa who, at that time, had regular Capoeira lessons with Mestre Bimba, who was also to become his teacher.

In his late teens Metre Camisa moved to Rio de Janeiro and following the normal steps of a Capoeira student, he began to teach Capoeira himself. After a while he realised the necessity of a more formal structure for his lessons. It was then that the idea of Abada Capoeira appeared for the first time: "The idea of ABADÁ came shortly after I had been through a difficult period of loneliness in Rio. The lack of a formal structure for the classes such as the necessity for a basic lesson plan, a place to study and teach, to debate techniques and discuss concepts, and to define rankings were all very important. But just as important was the idea to create a family-like atmosphere to all those people who, like me, had left their cities behind and their families just to dedicate themselves to Capoeira. Perhaps because I went through what I did, I joined other students who gave Capoeira lessons in Rio and in other states such as Ceará, Espírito Santo, and Pernambuco to found an association that in some way would give us a structure and support as new Capoeiristas. That was in 1988. The search for a name took a long time because it had to sum up what the organization was all about and at the same time it had to have a basic relationship with Capoeira. Abadá is a long white tunic, a loose garment worn by some black African people when they gather together to pray. It is similar to those clothes worn by Nigerian people” explains Mestre Camisa.

Today ABADÁ-Capoeira has more than 40,000 members in the whole world and is the largest Capoeira association. Mestre Camisa has graduated two women to the rank of Mestranda. (There is only 8 people in ABADÁ at this rank.)

Mestre Camisa is constantly researching Capoeira and improving his style. He teaches at workshops and seminars and also attends “batizados” in Brazil and throughout the world. Through ABADÁ-Capoeira Mestre Camisa has been defining a new contemporary language for the art which respects and preserves the traditions and foundations of it. He also follows its evolution around the world, always keeping the basic aspects of Capoeira: as a martial art, a playful game, a source of rhythms and songs, and a spontaneous art form.

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